Share

ISIS group gains toehold in Libya - experts

Tripoli - With Libya engulfed in chaos, the town of Derna in the east of the largely lawless country is emerging as a new stronghold for the Islamic State jihadist group, experts say.

The North African state has been wracked by instability since the overthrow of autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, providing a fertile ground for Islamic extremists.

ISIS fighters have already swept across Iraq and Syria, and their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi recently boasted of vows of allegiance from militants in Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Some Western observers consider Derna, a town of 150 000, to be the home of a third ISIS franchise in North Africa, after Jund al-Khilifa in Algeria and Egypt's Ansar Beit al-Maqdis declared their support earlier this year.

Well documented

"The Islamic State is in Derna. It's well documented. There's no doubt," said Othman Ben Sassi, a former member of the now-disbanded Transitional National Council, the political arm of the rebellion that overthrew Gaddafi.

The jihadist group is exploiting "the absence of state authority and porous borders", he added.

Statements and images have for several weeks circulated on extremist forums claiming to depict gatherings of "Libyan jihadists" belonging to ISIS - prompting concern in Washington.

"We have seen reports that violent extremists [in Libya] have pledged allegiance to ISIS and are looking to associate themselves with it," said State Department spokesperson Jeffrey Rathke.

Libyan authorities have struggled to control militant groups as well as powerful militias which ousted Gaddafi, and the internationally recognised government has been forced to take refuge in the far east of the oil-rich country.

'Ideological fight'

Derna and large areas of Benghazi, Libya's second city, have served as strongholds for radical groups including Ansar al-Sharia, classed by the UN as a terrorist organisation.

In April, an offshoot of the group announced it had implemented Islamic sharia law in Derna.

The self-proclaimed "Shura Council of Islamic Youth" has reportedly opened Islamic courts and established a religious police force in the town.

Dozens of masked members have appeared in military fatigues, regularly parading in pick-up trucks brandishing rocket launchers and heavy machineguns and toting the black and white flag used by jihadists.

In August the Shura Council posted a video online appearing to show the public execution in a Derna football stadium of an Egyptian man accused of murder.

But the group has yet to formally pledge allegiance to ISIS, and analysts say there are divisions within its ranks.

"Several extremists in Derna are attracted to ISIS. But the majority of senior jihadists in Libya are former al-Qaeda members and there is an ideological fight between ISIS and al-Qaeda partisans," said a Libyan expert on jihadists who did not want to be named.

The UN this month branded Ansar al-Sharia a terrorist organisation owing to its affiliation with al-Qaeda's North African franchise.

"The decision was based on reliable intelligence," the Libyan expert said. "Ansar al-Sharia has closer ties to al-Qaeda than to any other group."

 'Islamic emirate'

According to Claudia Gazzini, Libya analyst at International Crisis Group, some Derna factions have pledged allegiance to IS, but it is unclear which ones and how much support they enjoy.

"There is a misguided tendency to automatically associate the establishment of Islamic courts and the killings of soldiers with an ISIS agenda," she said.

Derna was already considered by many analysts to be a de-facto "Islamic emirate", entirely free from state control, before the reported claims of allegiance to ISIS.

The town has long been suspected of harbouring and training foreign fighters who then go on to fight in Iraq and Syria, where ISIS has declared a "caliphate" and imposed its harsh interpretation of Islamic law.

"There are factions in Derna who reportedly swore allegiance to ISIS in the search for a group that could unify the Muslim community," said a former Libyan official who also asked not to be named for security reasons.

"But ideological differences between jihadist groups and the international coalition offensive against ISIS means these factions have so far opted for discretion, or have gone to fight in Iraq and Syria," the former official added.

According to one resident of Derna, life in the town goes on largely as normal - for most people.

"You go out, you do your chores, you visit friends. No one bothers you," the resident said.

"But if you are a policeman, a soldier or a lawyer, you're dead."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
42% - 395 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
58% - 556 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE